By Brandon Hay (MES, Business)
Founder of the Black Daddies Club
Therapist-in-Training at the Gestalt Institute of Toronto
OSRP member

Less than 1% of therapists identify as Black men in the USA. This statistic was shared at a Black Men Therapists conference in Chicago that I attended in February 2023. This number is even less for Black men practicing therapy in Canada.

This lack of representation of Black men in the mental health profession in Canada has impacts on the larger mental health crisis that Black folks across Canada are navigating. The Shining a Light on Mental Health in Black Communities report states that 60% of the Black Canadians surveyed "would be more willing to use mental health services if the mental health professional were Black". The report also indicated the importance of innovative mental health interventions for the Back community, as “Black persons in Canada have higher unemployment rates, as well as lower average incomes, which may preclude them from the wider selection of mental health services available to those able to pay privately or go through employer-covered insurance plans."

My name is Brandon Hay and I am a Black man who is a therapist-in-training in Gestalt therapy, and I am also the founder of the Black Daddies Club (BDC), which is a social grassroots movement that has been co-creating spaces for Black folks and Black men in Toronto for the past 18 years. 

As a therapist in training, I believe the trauma that Black folks experience looks different due to racism and their other lived experiences that come with the intersections of race, gender, sexuality, class, etc. The events below will be co-created communal and decolonized spaces for Black therapists, counsellors, healers, and those who support Black folks to learn and network with each other.

On Sunday, August 11th, 2024, BDC is collaborating with community stakeholders from Canada, USA, and South Africa to do two events (virtual and in-person) that will focus on innovative approaches with Black folks and mental health. The event will take place at Movember Canada, Toronto, 588 Richmond Street West, Toronto, 

The first event taking place from 11 am-2:30 pm, will be Sunday Brunch: A Decolonized Space for Black Therapists, Counselors, Healers, and those who work with Black Folks,  a panel discussion and networking and knowledge-sharing event for the purpose of decolonizing therapeutic strategies for Black, Indigenous and Racialized therapists, counselors, healers and those who support Black folks with their mental health.

This event, the first in a series, will launch The Revelry Group, an Employment Assistance Program (EAP) that works with Black, Racialized, and Indigenous Counsellors, Therapists and Healers. We are currently working on inviting Black and Racialized therapists to be a part of this network. 

The second event for the day, taking place from 3:30 pm to 6:30 pm, will be Sunday Dinners: Conversations with Black Men. The purpose of the Sunday Dinner gatherings is for Black men to have conversations with other Black men to explore our similarities and differences. This conversation series is for Black men who identify as cis-gendered, heterosexual, trans-men, gay, bi-sexual, mixed race, living with a disability or non-binary Black men, etc.; as long as you identify as a Black man, the Sunday Dinners space is for you. 

The Sunday Dinners initiative is innovative because it takes away the stigma of therapy which is still prevalent in some Black communities. The event is also free which helps to decrease the financial barriers that often stand in the way of Black men and their mental health and wellness. The design of Sunday Dinners is built on the Gestalt Therapy theories of dialogical relationship, awareness of our bodies, and being present in the here and now with the other person. Sunday Dinners also relies on Black men connecting (speaking and listening) with other Black men in a vulnerable way, and the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, as one participant who attended the in-person Sunday Dinners event which was held in March 2024 in Toronto, said,

“I love having an intergenerational space where I can learn from black men. Having a space to talk to other black men is healing, especially during COVID. I also like having this space because I can share my experiences and unpack some of my own insecurities and experiences. It feels like therapy’.” Sunday Dinner attendee 

If you are a Black therapist or counselor, or a non-Black therapist or counselor who works with Black men, Black boys, and the Black community at large, please register for the Sunday Brunch (in-person or virtual). 

If you are a Black man and interested in attending Sunday Dinners, please register (in-person or virtual).

As these events are not wheelchair accessible, we encourage folks who experience mobility issues, or those who will be out of the geographic area, to access both events via the virtual registration options. 

I would love to see you at these events. Bring a friend!